Part Five
Jay turned over in bed, a groan slipping from his lips. His back had been acting up terribly over the past three days, especially at night. Needless to say, he hadn't gotten much sleep. Tonight had been especially horrible. He had been tossing and turning for hours, and the pain in his spine throbbed with each minute.
For the most part, his rehab was going well. He had gotten over the helplessness he had been experiencing, and he found little things he could do around the house to keep himself active without stressing his injury. Trish planned to move in with him soon, so he spent much of his time planning the rearrangements that would be made to accomodate an extra person in the house. He wasn't doing anything too physical, though, which was why he couldn't understand why he was in such terrible pain.
Resting on his side, Jay placed a hand at the small of his back, the pain become damn near excruciating. He groaned again, and then sat up. He couldn't take it any longer.
Rising gingerly from the bed, Jay shuffled to the bathroom, clutching at his back all the while. He flipped the light switch on, squinting as the lights illuminating the room blinded him. He opened the medicine cabinet, shuffling around the various tubes and bottles until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out the bottle, examining it as if he had never seen it before.
His stomach knotted just a little, but he ignored it. After all the horror stories he heard, he felt a pang of guilt each time he went to take a pill. But he couldn't deny that these pain killers did their job. And he certainly needed to get rid of the unbearable pain he was having. Sure, he had already taken a pill that morning, but it had long since worn off. Taking another to help him get to sleep wouldn't hurt.
He popped the lid off the bottle and took one pill out, grabbing a plastic cup from the dispenser above the sink. After swallowing the medication with a swig of water, Jay wiped the excess water from the corners of his mouth with a towel. He paused for a moment, leaning against the wall as he took a deep breath. The prescription the doctor had given him was pretty potent, so he suspected it wouldn't take too long for it to kick in.
On his way back to the bedroom, he could hear his cell phone ringing. Thankful that he had brought it to bed with him, instead of leaving it downstairs as he normally did, he hurried as best as he could manage back to the bedroom. He picked his phone up off the dresser where it was sitting and glanced at the screen. The number was listed as unavailable. He was tempted to let it go, but his inquiring mind got the best of him, and he flipped the phone open.
"Hello?" he asked in a peculiar tone, wondering who could be calling him so late.
"Jay, it's Tomko," a deep voice called from the other line.
"Oh, hey man, what's up?" he asked curiously.
The two of them hadn't spoken much since he'd left. They pretty much communicated through Trish.
"Nothing... listen, I have some bad news..."
Jay felt his stomach drop a little, and he walked over to the bed to sit down. Any conversation that started out like that could not be good. Almost automatically, his girlfriend came to mind.
"Is it Trish?" he asked worriedly.
His heart began to beat just a little faster when Tomko didn't answer right away.
"Actually, yeah..." Tyson said slowly. "But don't worry too much, boss. She's alright, but she got hurt at tonight's show."
A frown came across Jay's face as he cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"What happened? Where is she?" he asked, half prepared to jump out of bed and throw on some clothes.
"We're at a hospital right now. She really is okay, just a broken hand," he said calmly.
In all honesty, Tyson was much more nervous than he sounded. But after working with Jay for awhile, he knew just how the Canadian would react to this type of news. So, for his sake, he thought it'd be best to remain calm.
"Just a broken hand!" Jay cried. Sure, it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened, but that didn't mean she was okay. "Can I talk to her?"
"They're fitting her cast right now, she asked me to call before she went in. I'll have her call you as soon as she's released," Tyson assured him.
Jay sighed, using his free hand to rub at his eyes. After a long silence, he agreed.
"Alright... I'll talk to you later," he said, ending the call.
A heavy exhale left his lips as he tossed his phone aside. Regardless of his back pain, he knew he would not be able to get to sleep now... not until he heard from Trish. As silly as it sounded, he got the terrible feeling that this wouldn't have happened had he been there. And at least if it had, he could have been there for her. He couldn't shake the image of his girlfriend sitting alone in a hospital room.
He knew he was overreacting. Trish was an extremely tough young woman, and a broken hand would be the smallest of setbacks to her. But he also knew that, though she'd never in a million years admit it, she would probably need some comforting. And as good-natured as he knew Tomko was, he suspected he wasn't the most comforting individual.
Turning over to his side, Jay closed his eyes in an attempt to lull himself to sleep. As he listened to the sounds of his own breathing, a tugging sensation pulled at his heart. He realized at that moment just how much he missed Trish. Lying alone in their bed every night caused intense feelings of isolation and lonliness to sweep over him. Opening his eyes in the middle of night and not seeing the head of blonde hair beside him reminded him of his solitude. Waking up with no one to hold in the morning was killing him.
Then, a thought occured to him. If Trish broke her hand, she would obviously not be allowed to wrestle. And if that was the case, she would have to stay home... with him. Not to say he didn't feel terrible about her unfortunate injury, but it wouldn't be hard for him to accept being able to see her everyday again.
A hint of a smile touched the edges of his mouth as he felt himself drifting into a slumber. Perhaps this injury was a blessing in disguise.
